Posted by From NWAGBO NNENYELIKE, Ilorin on
The Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) has declared its support to the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employee (NULGE) over their agitation that the 774 local governments in Nigeria should not be scrapped.
The Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) has declared its support to the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employee (NULGE) over their agitation that the 774 local governments in Nigeria should not be scrapped.
Chairman, Kwara State chapter of ALGON, Alhaji Toyin Sanusi, who spoke at a press conference told the National Assembly not to listen to the call by 'some governors and powerful Nigerian who are asking that the 774 local councils be abolished.''
He said rather than scrapping the local governments, the Nigerian constitution should strengthen their operations to make them become autonomous and fully independent. 'We want to associate ourselves with the agitations of NULGE. We are agitating that the local governments remain. Rather, there should be autonomy. The autonomy is not in all the areas. Not in the area of joint account.''
Alhaji Sanusi who is the chairman of Ilorin West LGA condemned the call made by the Kwara State Chairman of NULGE, Alhaji Abdulkareem Lambe, that as a result of the siphoning of the funds by the state governments, the joint account should be abolished.
Declaring that the joint account between the state and LGA is a provision of 1999 Constitution, the Kwara ALGON boss said.
'Kwara State ALGON after giving the allegation of Alhaji Lambe a serious consideration has concluded that the fact of the figure is not in agreement with the allegations of the NULGE state chairman.
'This issue borders on the integrity of the local government councils and state governments in the country. In Kwara State, the issue of joint account is a mutual agreement between the state government and councils as provided in the 1999 Constitution.
'We want to make it clear that if the allegation that some governors are using joint accounts as a conduit pipe to siphon local governments fund is true, it is not applicable in Kwara State. Rather, the account is responsible for various developmental projects scattered all over the LGA.''